Youth of the Federation
by Lilly V
Summary: Flaunting It was the beginning of something. This is the end. Too bad it didn't end as well as it started.


I was alone in the room with her when it happened. When he broke her heart.  
  
"I'm not your eye candy Hunter, I'm not..."  
  
He must have cut her off. I knew what name was going there, but didn't say anything. It wasn't my place.  
  
I'd watched the whole thing, the whole damned process. I lied to them, told them that it was my fault. I told everybody that, but most of them didn't believe me. At least, the people that knew us.  
  
Matt never believed it. He knew as soon as he heard, he knew exactly whose fault it really was and wasn't really shocked. I was surprised when he came to me asking. I hadn't planned on telling him, Lita had made me promise I wouldn't. She just kept telling people the same thing; the neck injury had been that bad, that was all. There was nothing else. No other reason.  
  
But Matt came asking, he came to Raw and searched me out, demanding the truth. I told him the same version of the truth I'd told everyone else, Lita and I had been together and yes, we'd been together while she was still dating him.  
  
He knew in an instant. And if I hadn't restrained him I think he'd have gone after the mother fucker right there and then.  
  
  
  
Now, I wish we were the only two in the room as she downs another shot of vodka. I'm not sure how many she's had at this point, three, four maybe? She's always been able to handle her liquor better than anyone else I know. And I think it gives everyone else hope that she's still this together.  
  
"How soon is it?" she asks me.  
  
I check my watch. "We've got a few minutes."  
  
She turns around and faces the group assembled in the locker room. "Anyone wanna back out? Last chance."  
  
Everyone looks nervously at the leather straps she'd given them. They all look like they want to say something but can't. Or won't.  
  
Edge is finally the one to speak up. "Lita, I'm still not sure. I could lose my job over this."  
  
Shannon nods in agreement. Mysterio suddenly joins in. "All us Smackdown guys could get in deep..."  
  
"Shit?" Lita asks. "Fine. You three can leave. Nidia, Noble, Cena, you three can go too. I'm sorry I dragged you here."  
  
"I'm not leaving," Nidia protested. "We all agreed to this."  
  
Maven nodded in agreement. "We're staying. Who's he to start this 'Anti-Tough Enough' crap?"  
  
Lita finally looks at me.  
  
"Jeff?"  
  
Oh...damn.  
  
"I'm still in," I assure her.  
  
"Why? Because of what he did to me?" Lita inquires. "Are you all just here because you feel sorry for me?"  
  
"That's not why I'm here," Hurricane jumps in.  
  
"Then why?"  
  
He shrugs. "Revenge for Kane. For my friend. OMEGA pride. For what the two of us could have had. Because as long as he's here we're."  
  
"Fucked," Christian finishes for him. "So long as he's running things and people just turn their heads the rest of us 'kids' are fucked."  
  
"Yeah," Rob backs up. "How many of us have lost chances because of him? How many of us have been pushed back down the roster so he could have another main event? If Smackdown wants to go, they can. He's on our show, he's our problem."  
  
"No," Edge corrects. "I'm not going. I changed my mind."  
  
"Me too," Shannon nods. "OMEGA pride, right?"  
  
"OMEGA pride," a strangely calm voice from the door echoes. I knew it all too well...  
  
...and so does Lita.  
  
"Are you sure?" she asks Matt as he picks up a strap. "And Matt, if this is about what he did to me."  
  
"It's not. It's about what he's doing to everyone in this room."  
  
She looks at me again, impatient. "Well?"  
  
"It's time."  
  
Looking back, watching the tape..I was half proud and half ashamed.  
  
Triple H was still pounding on Kane when we arrived at the top of the ramp, our straps in hand. She was leading our mob into the ring. Three quarters of the young talent in the federation was behind her, all of us wielding our leather straps.  
  
He couldn't move.  
  
I couldn't look at her. I was afraid she'd have that look in her eyes. That cold, calculating look that most people had never seen. They knew her as the high flying diva, the fun loving tomboyish Hardy girl.  
  
They hadn't seen her break down in a doctor's office when she told him what she'd have to do. They hadn't had watch her as she got the news from him, that he wouldn't take responsibility for it, but he'd give her the money to "fix it."  
  
She'd had the look on her face since that point. And nobody else had ever seen it.  
  
She slid into the ring. Hunter just walked to her, abandoning Kane who'd already been knocked out by the belt.  
  
The belt.  
  
The belt he'd wanted more than anything.  
  
The reason behind Lita having to get rid of his baby.  
  
Lita stood face to face with him. "Take care of it, Hunter? You told me to take care of it? Just like you've taken care of everyone here? How you've pushed them down? How you've made sure that they didn't take away your precious belt? Take care of it? Well.how about we take care of you?"  
  
She let the strap fly across his stomach.  
  
That was the signal. The rest of flew at Hunter, our straps lashing out and hitting him for every time he'd escaped before. For that night when he trapped us backstage and let Kane take the strap beating. For the night in the hospital when Lita had her abortion.  
  
"Have it if you want it," he'd told her. "But I'm sure as hell not going to help take care of the baby. I mean...I'll give you the money to take care of the problem, but nothing else. Then, when it's all over, you come back and I'll make sure McMahon takes care of us. I just don't have time for a kid."  
  
We beat him until he was face down on the mat and bloody. Lita's strap was the first and last to hit him. I had to pull her off of him as she cried and sobbed and swore at him. I led her backstage, trying to keep her steady.  
  
"It was all about him and me, wasn't it?" she'd asked me afterwards.  
  
"Yes. But we all knew that," I replied. "That was what pushed us over the edge."  
  
"You shouldn't have. You're all going to be in trouble and it's my fault. I should have," she paused. "I was gonna name him Jeff. Well, if it was a boy. Jess if it were a girl. It never got old enough for me to tell.  
  
I caught a monitor from the corner of my eye and took note of the number of medics attending to the champion. Somehow, it made a sadistic smile creep across his face.  
  
Hunter had done the last of his damage to the youth of the federation. 


End file.
